Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-08-18
More than Seyenty-flvs Lives Lost
by an Accident Near Chats
worth Illinois.
Twice That Number of Persons
Wounded, Many Of Them
Fatally.
A Heavily Laden Excursion Train
Crashes Through a Charred
Bridge in the Night
The Wreck Takes Fire and Is Extin.
guished After a Desper-
ate Fight.
[Foreat nll apecial.i


One of the most horrible accidents within the
memory Of man occurred three miles east Of
Chatsworth, on the Toledo Peoria and Western
Railroad, late Wednesday night An excursion
train OF sixteen cars from Peoria went through
culvert and upward OF 25) persons were killed
and injured, SO far as learned, seventy three
persons wero instantly killed and about one
hundred and sixty more or less seriously in
iured.
The train consisted of engines 21 and 13, a
baggage car a special car, five coaches, and
six sleepers Two and a half miles east OF
Chatsworth, small village about seven miles
ditch. 1t is about fourteen feet wide and thir-
teen feet deep. The bridge over this culvert
was wretched structure Of wood and tho
hot weather OF past weeks had made it dry
as tinder. Wednesday night the supports
caught fire and slowly burned until the
entire bridge rested ON the charred rem.
nants of the timbers. When the train came
laundering down there was nothing to warn the
head engineer that the bridge was death trap
and the speed OF the train wa. not slackened
the tbrottio was pulled out and the train rushed
along ut q rate of forty miles an hour.
HURLED INTO THE CHAsM.
When the first engine struck the bridge there
was cracking Of timbers, and the engine
dropped. Tho leading engine was not thrown
from the track, and continued on its way, TAX
ing it's tender with it. The next engine dropped
into the chasm, and then the train rushed on
~
tion Of the sleepers, which escaped without a
scratch.
The scene Of horror and confusion that fol-
lowed was frightful There were about seven
hundred people on the train, and Of those fully
one-half wero In tho coaches that now lay in
huge mass. Ten cars filled with dead and dy-
ing people were jammed into space OF two
cars length.
HoRRIBLx CRUSHED AND MANGLED.
The six coaches were telescoped in the most
horrible manner, and the occupants were sim
OlV cruahad and manQled almOat ont OF all
semblance to human beings. Thirty-nine la
dies were taken out from the end Of one OF the
cars When the crash came they were swept
of their seats by the rear car bursting in on
them and crushed to death in the further end
of the car.
As soon as the survivors recovered from the
awful shock n train hand ran back to Chats
worth for help. The news of the awful disas-
ter spread quickly and in q short time hun
dreds of people from Forest, Chatsworth, Piper
City, Gilman, and the surrounding country
were ON the spot assisting in the work Of res
cue. The remnants of the bridge, which was
still burning, received the first attention
Water was brought from farmers houses near
by and the flames extinguished. None Of the
cars caught fire, otherwise the horrors Of a
holocaust would have beenadded to an.already
frightful disaster. Attention was then turned
to the shrieking inmates Of the wrecked cars
Such was the awful momentum Of the train
that three OF the coaches were not only tele-
scoped, but piled on top OF each other. The
other cars had rolled off the track after tele-
scoping. Fourteen trucks were piled on tho
east btuC OF the culVofb III Lne DllubL OI JDlb
awful mass of broken cars hundreds Of human
beings were intombed. One woman with her
baby in her arms was thrown half the length
of tho car and killed The baby was
not injured. Four colored women sit
ting together were crushed to pulp.
They were from Peoria. Conductor Still
we'll escaped with few injuries about
the body.
man named Goodall q butcher from Peoria,
was caught between two cars and his lower
limbs crushed.
aFor Gods sake save me" he cried to tho
rcscuers. "rll give 500 to any one who will
pull mo out of here"
But il was impossible His body could not
have been got out without chopping it out, and
the poor fellow died few minutes later. His
son is thought to have been killed.
sHRIEKINa OUT or The DARKNESS.
As fast as possible the work of release was
prosecuted, but about 80 o'clock il began to
rain, and the horror Of the night was complete.
The black darkness, which was family illum-
ined by lanterns and pierced by the awful
yells and groans Of the dying, injured, and inn
prisoned was now joined by tho elements, and
the pouring rain, lightning, and the roar
of thunder made a scene that would APP
pail the bravost heart One young man who
was taken out with both legs broken was
carried into cornfeld near by and laid
down. He yelled with pan for a time, but an
hour later II was found that he had killed him
self by blowing his bruins out. The terrible
excitement and pain had probably driven him
crazy
AS fast rs tho victims were rescued they
were placed side by side in the cornfield north
of the track. by daylight sixty-hVe bodies
were lying side by side, silent monuments u
what seems to have been n railroad company's
carelessnoss. Tho majority OF the dead are
Peoria people. The train contained 10 people
from Peoria city and county. and OF this nun
Der at least forty-one were killed.
STORIES or SURVIVORS,
Mr.. j, NJ. Tennery, OF Peoria, was in the hrs'
sleeper, and said Il felt three distinct shocks
and then heard grinding sound, and on look
ing out saw that the car in which we were wa'
directly over the fire, which was slowly blazing
on the stringers OF the bridge. j got out In
safety, and the scene presented TO the eve and
ear was one wish could forever efface from
my memory, but 1 know l mover can. The
shreks Of the dying and tho glaring faces OF
the horror IL vas pitch dark save for the htful
| light of the fre undor the sleeper
which lighted tho faces Of those about only tc
make their fear and anguish visible. On the
mouths Of most Of the corpses could be seer
| foam, which showed that they died in agony
| At last We secured some feeble lights, but the
| wind blew them out and about o'clock the ra in
| poured down in torrents on tho unprotected
| dead and dying In the hedges and corniields 0d
| jacent. Our efforts wero divided between
| trying TO put out tho fro and r, scuing ths
| dying whose cries fer help were heartrrnding
indeed. Mothois ran wildly about cry
| ing for lost children and wives for hus
| bands. btrong men werc weeping over tho
| forms of their beloved wives. lrayers, en-
treaties and groans filed tho air until daylight
| when rolief parties got to work and removed
| the dead and wounded from the ccene. Ths
bridge was ON fire before the train struck"
G. Falroth, who was one OF the fortunate onoi
occupying a berth I'm next to the last sleeper
| says that TO put out tho fire no water was to b,
had All went TO work with a " i'll with such tool
| as could be found ON tho cars 10 further do
stroy and tear AWAY all the woCdN ork pos
| siblo, and with dirt weeds, dry grass, coats
| and clothing in fact anything that would ac
as a weapon against the fierce flames. After
| terrible struggle tLe fro was put out.
| Mr.. FalvoTth on passing ono Of the coaches
| was reque sted. -Eor Gods snko take my child,
/ n babe, which bo Immediately did, and, leny
| ing Il in as safe place ms could be found
/ went into tho car and found the mother
1 Mrs. Neal, Of Mossville just dead
/ Tho scene In tine cars was be
| yond description Ono young child wai
| found fastened near the roof OF tho cur heac
down, where I'm tho jar and conclusion II hat
| oen throw n, and vas dead when taken down
Others were found I'm all conceivable shapes
all were thrown Oft their seats and piled in th'
| ends OF the nislCs Of tho cars, blet ding from
gashcs I'm tho face, arms or Ctber portions o
| the body IL was, Mr.. Falvorth says. tho mos
sickening sight no ever witnessed.
William Ellis, orc OF tho badly injured, say
| no was throw four flvo seats forward Rnt
| stunned, and when o recovered himself IN
| found others lying uron him. His watch Wi
| smashed, and had stopped ut 12:i3 Ho is O
| the opinion that the bridge was set on lr0 b.
| Ioungers around there whose motive u wna \
plupdeT the dead, ~ DO saw some Of theso sus